Blog archive all
24th September 2009
I hadn’t been intending to say any more about Farouk Hosni and his unsuccessful bid to become head of Unesco, but his unseemly behaviour yesterday – blaming a Jewish conspiracy – merely confirms his unworthiness for the post.
Sections of the Egyptian media are spinning a similar line, as well as… Read more
23rd September 2009
Four Emiratis – two men and two women, all in their twenties – have been jailed for six months each in Dubai for having sex in a five-star hotel.
One of them, a married woman, was convicted of adultery along with her lover. Her unmarried sister-in-law was found guilty of having sex with a lover.… Read more
23rd September 2009
There’s satisfaction in the Egyptian blogosphere today at the Mubarak regime’s failure to foist culture minister Farouk Hosni upon the rest of the world as head of Unesco.
Reporting of the contest for the job (eventually won by Bulgarian diplomat Irina Bokova) focused mainly on a remark by Hosni… Read more
22nd September 2009
Amnesty International has called on the Yemeni authorities to “clarify the whereabouts” of journalist Muhammad al-Maqalih, who was seized by plain-clothed men last Thursday.
“Amnesty International suspects his apparent disappearance is the result of his strong opposition and criticism of the… Read more
22nd September 2009
The drought in Syria – now in its fourth year – is affecting an estimated 1.3 million people. More than 800,000 of them have lost their livelihoods and around 300,000 farmers, herders, and their families have abandoned their homes for makeshift urban camps, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
In… Read more
21st September 2009
More harassment of the Tunisian regime’s critics:
Abdallah Zouari, a journalist for the Islamist newspaper al-Fajr, spent 11 years in jail for "membership in an illegal organisation" (al-Nahda party) and "attempting to overthrow the state".
Following his release, he was forced to live in Hassi… Read more
21st September 2009
The Yemeni army says it killed more than 140 Houthi rebels in Saada city yesterday in "the fiercest" fighting since Operation Scorched Earth began on August 11.
The rebels attacked at 3.00 am from three directions in an attempt to capture the government's regional headquarters, but the army foiled… Read more
21st September 2009
"Drawing upon the influences of Lacroix, Liberace, Phil Spector (for hair), Snoopy, and Idi Amin, Libya’s leader – now in his 60s – is simply the most unabashed dresser on the world stage."
I must admit I don't normally take much interest in Vanity Fair, so thanks to the Arabist blog for pointing… Read more
20th September 2009
Egyptian border guards shot and wounded a 20-year-old Ethiopian man who was among a group of African migrants trying to cross illegally into Israel, the German Press Agency reported yesterday.
On September 15, two Eritrean men were shot dead by Egyptian border guards and three seriously wounded… Read more
20th September 2009
Devotees and critics of the late Edward Said may be interested in the September issue of Viewpoints (from the Middle East Institute) where a variety of writers and academics reconsider his seminal work, Orientalism – "the critique it proffered, the controversy it aroused, and the influence it has… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
